The Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley

Transcription

1 Congregational Christian Church The Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley (Evangelical, Independent) 207 W. Roosevelt Road, PO Box 370 Stillman Valley, Illinois Pastor Chris Brauns MAY 2018 NEWSLETTER CHURCH PHONE CHURCH ADDRESS TIME OF SERVICES Early Morning Worship Service 9:00 am Late Morning Worship Service 10:30 am Our Red Brick Church ministry needs will determine (within the constraint of what we can afford) how we will plan the use of our site. Our buildings are only a structure we pray God uses in the pursuit of our mission of making an extended family of fully devoted followers of Christ. The walls of our church are not the mission. They are only a context in which we tell people that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Our Master Plan Committee will meet soon to finalize our decision on an architect. This architect will then gain input from our congregation about our ministry needs. We picture a series of meetings in which our congregation has direct access to the architect and communicate what different areas of ministry we see us needing. Of course, we already know a number of our needs. (1) We have no foyer, gathering space, to welcome people and to distribute information or wait for a service to conclude. (2) We need a larger multipurpose space for AWANA. (3) We lack adequate Sunday School place. Currently our sixth graders meet in a basement space that is unwelcoming to say the least. Don t hesitate to direct questions or input about the Master Plan to our committee of Brooke Adams, Brad Baker, Chris Brauns, Terri Carby, Clyde Gelderloos, Dan Houston, Matt Rhodes, Randy Stukenberg. * * * * * Pastor Tim Michalek is leading a new members class for the four Sundays in June. If you are interested in joining, please contact him for more information. We are praying that our service on August 12 will be a special day that includes welcoming new members, baptisms, baby dedication, and a picnic. Make that day a priority! * * * * * Promoting and getting the word out about our church is something we always need to work at as a church family. We are already working on our strategy for promotion for late summer and fall. Remember that making invitations for church is something we all need to do. You might prayerfully consider doing one or more of the following: (1) Personally invite someone to sit with you and be your guest at church. (2) Engage with our church s content on social media. Sharing church events or interacting with posts is very helpful. (3) Pray now about who you might invite to AWANA in the fall. AWANA has proven to be one of our best strategies for inviting new families to be part of our church. (4) Above all, pray. Eternity is at stake. Let s pray that God uses our church to tell more people that God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him would not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

2 May 6 th : May 13 th : May 20 th : May 27 th : June 3 rd : MAY GREETERS Bruce and Betty Carby Dan and Lori Houston Grady and Millie McCoy Len and Barb Kinner Dave and Pat Ewald MAY NURSERY May 6 th 9:00 am Barb Hale, Tania VanBriesen, Ryan Roberts 10:30 am Elliot and Rebekah Anderson Nancy Gelderloos (Rocker) May 13 th 9:00 am Justine Loyo, Amy Michalek, Stacy Jones 10:30 am Lee and Shannon Hickey LucyBeth Sierra May 20 th 9:00 am Susan Stukenberg, Mandy Poliska, Kendra Booker 10:30 am Jamie Brauns, Anne Wiltfang, Donna Arnold May 27 th 9:00 am Tom and Ashley Stahl, Tessa Baker June 3 rd 9:00 am Joanna Easley, Deb Bonne Nancy Gelderloos (Rocker) 10:30 am Aly Behmer, Alice Daniels Vicki Boyd (Rocker) NURSERY NEWS Parents with children under the age of 5 years are invited and encouraged to use our nursery during either of the worship services. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help in the nursery, please contact our nursery coordinators, Tessa Baker ( ) or Stacy Coester ( ). SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS... SS Superintendent: Brooke Adams Our average weekly Sunday School Attendance for the past two years during the month of April is listed below: April 2017: 81 April 2018: 81 Our average weekly Sunday School Offerings for the past two years during the month of April are listed below: April 2017: $10.25 April 2018: $11.65 WORSHIP SERVICE REPORT Our average attendance at Worship Services for the past three months is listed below: February Average: 224 March Average: 251 April Average: 270 CHAIRMAN OF BOARDS/COMMITTEES Deacon Board Tom Stahl Deaconess Board Jeanne Baker Trustee Board Jeff McLindsay CE Committee Marlene Miller Memorial Committee Jeff McLindsay Missions Committee Cathy Midtsem Missions Committee Joe Clinton Music Pastor Tim Michalek June Newsletter Articles are due in the church office by Tuesday, May 29, 2018

3 Children s Prelude On Mother s Day, Sunday, May 13 th, we will have our children/youth begin both services with a prelude! Any one up through high school age who would want to play an instrumental song as part of our prelude should let Jamie Brauns or the church office know! If the church office does not have your address, please be sure to your address to the office at the following address: cccoffice1@comcast.net The address for Pastor Chris is: cdbrauns@gmail.com The address for Pastor Tim is: timothymichalek@gmail.com We will be ing out announcements, news articles, coming events, etc., so don t miss out!! Be sure we have your address. FINANCIAL REPORT Through April 30, 2018 Total Approved 2018 Budget = $430,907 Divided by 52 weeks/year = $8,287/week Budget Giving through April $140,879 Actual Giving through April $137,598 Budget Giving vs. Actual Giving... $-3,281 Actual Expenses through 4/30/18... $120,403 On Memorial Day Sunday, May 27 th, there will be only a 9:00 am worship serivce. HONORING GRADUATES On Sunday, May 20 th, we will be honoring our 2018 SVHS and BHS graduates as well as those from our church family who are also home schooled graduates. We will be honoring all graduates during the 9:00 am worship service. If you have a graduate in your family or know of a graduate from our church family, please contact the church office Following the 9:00 am service, we invite all graduates and our church family down to the fellowship hall for a cake and coffee reception in honor of our graduates. On Sunday, May 20 th, along with our high school graduates, we will also be honoring our 2018 BIC (Bible Instruction Course) and 8 th grade graduates. We will be honoring our graduates during the 9:00 am worship service Summer Schedule Our Deacon Board has revised our Summer Worship Schedule. Please note the service times and changes as follows: Memorial Day Sunday, May 27 th 9:00 am Service only Children s Church (Preschool 1 st grade) The Month of June 9:00 and 10:30 am Worship Services Children s Church (Preschool 1 st grade) during both services The Months of July and August 9:00 am Service only Children s Church (Preschool 1 st grade) Labor Day Sunday, September 2 nd 9:00 am Service only Children s Church (Preschool 1 st grade) A baptism service will be held on Sunday, August 12 th following the 9:00 am worship service. Contact the office to schedule a meeting with a pastor if you are interested in being baptized.,,,,, Please be sure to note these on your home calendar for 2018!

4 Along with celebrating our High school and 8 th Grade / BIC graduates, we would also like to acknowledge and congratulate our college graduates. Allison Spors, daughter of Pastor Chris and Jamie, will graduate from Washington University Law in St. Louis on Friday, May 18 th, with a Juris Doctor degree. Allison will be a Federal Clerk for the Honorable Raymond Gruender on the Federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. Christopher Brauns, son of Pastor Chris and Jamie, graduates on Saturday, May 5 th from Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science. Christopher is going to work for JP Morgan Chase as a software engineer in Columbus, Ohio. His wife, Meredith, will be continuing her education in Occupational Therapy at Ohio State. Jeff Cialkowski, son of Jana Cox, will graduate on Saturday, May 5 th from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL with a Master of Science Degree in Kinesiology and Sports Studies with an emphasis on Sports Administration. Jeff has accepted a position as an Athletic Trainer for Gibson City Hospital in Gibson City, IL. Michael Arnold, son of Steve and Donna Arnold, graduates on Sunday, May 13 th, from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Math Education. He is currently interviewing for teaching positions in the La Crosse, WI area. Sydney Gatz, daughter of Dave and Aileen Gatz, will graduate on Saturday, May 19 th from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Science. Sydney will be continuing her education and has been accepted into Liberty University s Master of Science Biomedical Science program for the fall of 2018, while teaching in the organic chemistry lab for Liberty University. Karissa Dobson, daughter of Erica Dobson, will graduate from North Central College in Naperville, IL on Saturday, June 9 th with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education with a Leadership Minor and Learning Behavior Specialist Endorsement. Karissa will be teaching 4 th grade at Central Elementary School in Rochelle, IL beginning this fall. CONNECTION CARDS A reminder that Connection Cards can be found in all the pockets on the back of the pews, along with a pencil. Please use these Connection Cards to let the Pastors and the church office know of any prayer concerns, if you would like to meet with Pastor Chris or Pastor Tim, and address/phone/ changes, or any other question or concerns you might have. We encourage all visitors to fill out a Connection Card with their family information. Once you have filled out a Connection Card, please place it in the offering or leave it on the table in the back of the sanctuary. A sign-up sheet for camp scholarships has been placed on the back bulletin board. Please sign up for what camp you will be attending along with the week. A camp scholarship of $100 will be given to your parents a week prior to camp. We are tentatively planning to have a Baby Dedication service on Sunday, August 12 th. If you have a child you would like to have dedicated, please contact the church office.

5 Ladies Salad Luncheon The Deaconess Board hosted a Spring Salad Luncheon on April 28 th with approximately 60 ladies attending who enjoyed many delicious salads. All ladies attending were given a bookmark and a bag of chocolates. Shannon Popkin, delightful author and friend of the Brauns, spoke on going from Control Girl to Jesus Girl. She is the author of Control Girl, which is the book used by both Ladies Bible Study groups this winter. Special thanks to Abby Houston for providing her beautiful music and to Darren Daniels for being our technical director. The Deaconess Board is hoping to make this an annual event. From Pastor Tim Our CLUE Live activity was a smashing success. We had 52 teens and 12 sponsors participate, many of the teens had never been inside our church before. They ran all over the building collecting clues to solve the mystery. We had six rooms in the most remote locations of our facility, even sending Colonel Mustard (Terrell Carby) and Professor Plum (Dave Gatz) to the admin building. We used 34 red candles, eight TV s playing a thunderstorm, and all the blinds drawn. The teens had to use flashlights to hunt down where the rooms were located. To enter a room, the teens needed a special ticket they only got from rolling a large wooden die. After they gave the character the ticket, they asked them a question to deduce some clues about the murderer. The other sponsors were the Butler and MC (Eric Long), Miss Peacock (Kathy Mrozek), Mr. Green (Ken Mrozek), Mrs. White (Terri Carby), and Miss Scarlet (Lori Houston). Aileen Gatz and Jamie Brauns snuck around the building to scare the teens. Amy Michalek and Hope Hickey helped the teens earn new tickets. Everyone had fun.

6 WELCOME TO OPERATION ARTIC!! Everyday our kids are bombarded with the message that the Bible isn t the true Word of God that it can t be trusted to tell us the truth about the past or, more importantly, about how we can receive the gift of eternal life. With the OPERATION VBS 2018 theme, your kids will warm up to the Word as they explore the coolest Book on the planet and discover how we can know for sure that the Bible is God s written word to us! Please just us at our 2018 VBS at the Red Brick Church! July 9 th 13 th from 9:00 am to 11:30 am Ages 4 (potty-trained) through 6 th Grade REGISTER AT: theredbrickchurch.org We are trying to get workers organized. Workers are needed in all areas, from teaching to snacks to crafts to nursery. Thanks, we couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions about VBS, please contact Tom and Ashley Stahl at or or the church office. SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS Thank you to our parents, families, volunteers and teachers for faithfully supporting our Sunday School program. Our last day of Sunday School is May 20th. We will continue to have Children's Church through the summer during both worship services. Children s Church is available for children 3 years of age (potty-trained) through those that have completed 1st grade. Volunteers are needed to teach Children's Church in June, July & August. Please contact Kendra Booker ( ) if you are interested in teaching or assisting. Our preschool and elementary Sunday School students will be singing on May 13th, Mother's Day, during both the 9:00 and 10:30 worship services. Music CDs with spring practice songs have been distributed. Graduation Sunday is May 20th, when our college, senior high, and BIC (8th grade) graduates will be honored. Senior High and BIC (Junior High) classes will not meet in the administrative building on May 20th, but rather join the 9:00 worship service. Sunday School will resume again on September 9th (the weekend after Labor Day). Enjoy this beautiful spring weather! God Bless! Brooke Adams, Sunday School Superintendent

7 May 2 nd - Lucas Behmer, Camila Bonne May 4 th - Tyler Herlihy May 5 th - Evan Jones, Micah Stahl May 7 th - Havah Gebbia May 8 th - Jameson Griffin May 9 th - Stanton Lewis - Cheri Schabacker May 10 th - Cheryl Lewis May 12 th - Storm Hickey May 14 th - Noah Myers May 15 th - Claudia Pihl May 16 th - Bernice Kruse Eunice Aden May 17 th - Aiden Carby May 18 th - Kaitlyn Adams, Carl Jacobson May 19 th - Hope Hickey May 20 th - Moses Michalek, Aileen Gatz May 21 st - Becky Bailey May 22 nd - Evan Stahl May 24 th - Donna Dyal, Elliot Anderson May 25 th - Heather Wallin May 26 th - Kane VanBriesen May 27 th - Jazzy and Gia Raber - Wyatt Brass, Elisa Loyo May 28 th - Susan Stukenberg May 30 th - Brianna Mrozek, Mandy Poliska May 31 st - Ellie Griffin June 1 st - June Lewis June 2 nd - Brittany Raber June 4 th - Jeff Cialkowski May 1 st - Gary and Julie Larson May 4 th - Bob and Patsy Hoernecke - Eric and Kendra Booker May 10 th - Roland and Lonna Nelson May 19 th - Mike and Gloria Ennenbach May 23 rd - Dave and Aileen Gatz May 26 th - Wilbur and Nina Whetsel June 1 st - Don and Heather Wallin

8 BIG Grasshoppers You may recall the story in Numbers 13 involving the scouting report on Canaan that the 12 spies sent back to Moses. The report cited the great place it would be and the spies even brought back fruit from the land. However, there was also a BIG problem - giant sized problems in fact. They reported that compared to the people in the land, who they said were like giants, they felt like grasshoppers. Fast forward to present day, sometimes almost 30 weeks of service in AWANA looming when you are only a few weeks into the year can feel that way for any of our leaders. However, I'm SO thankful they take on this BIG challenge of time and commitments in view of eternity and the fruit that sometimes unfolds week to week as they instead view these kids like grasshoppers (literally sometimes! ) -- tiny, small, souls in need of guiding to our Savior as they lovingly get to know and listen to them recite verses and talk over their questions in scripture. This kind of service is worth celebrating as a team. We did that by having a BIG fiesta this year at our annual leader dinner. After recognizing each person and thanking them BIG with the promise that God does not forget their work and love shown (Heb 6:10), we left with a mutual encouragement to one another. In the off season we agreed to think and pray BIG about the seeds sown and soil watered that our fruit will bear BIG fruit.. the Rev 7:9 kind of fruit "every tongue, tribe and nation." CONGREGATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH PO Box 370 Stillman Valley, IL ** RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED **